Different guns use different caliber bullets, but the prices are basically the same. Players should know whether they’re buying shotgun shells or pistol rounds, and how much they need. Figure the cost at about 0.2 Credits/ 1 Gold to buy 10 shots. If the guns are Newtech, the ammo will cost more — maybe a lot more — but otherwise price shouldn’t vary too much from there. Double the cost for ammo purchased on the Core from a licensed gun dealer and quadruple the cost for black market ammo on the Core. When you buy the bullets, you probably buy them in a box and load your gun yourself. The number of bullets in the box depends on the weapon and how much you feel like spending. Common numbers are 20, 50, and 100 bullets.

Armor Piercing

Armor piercing rounds are coated with a polymer that helps punch right through three points of armor Rating at the expense of a –1 step to damage rolls.

Arrows, Specialty

Though the bow is far from the most commonly-utilized weapon in the ‘Verse, archery has its uses. The Companion’s Guild teaches its members the sport of archery for meditative and professional reasons — it is a sport of the idle rich, and a Companion should show such facility for social purposes. Savants who follow antiquated martial traditions may also practice archery, as well as covert ops mercenaries or even thieves with elaborate modus operandi. Here’re some examples of specialty arrows; others are bound to exist.

Blunt:
A blunt arrow is used to down a target without killing. It does Stun instead of Wound damage.

Explosive:
This arrowhead contains a small explosive that detonates on impact. The range is much shorter than regular arrows (10 foot increment), but they do a heap more damage when they hit.

Flare:
A flare arrow does the same damage as a regular arrow, and a phosphorescent chemical in the tip ignites when it’s scraped against a rough surface, so it lights up a room aplenty.

Line:
This is a reinforced arrow with a microthin, woven monofiber line attached to a spool that clips onto the bow. The spool has 100 feet of line, and the head of the arrow is designed to open with spring-loaded backpointing claws like a little grappling hook. That acts to snag any surface it sinks into. Once the line is taut, you can use special gloves to climb hand-over-hand along it, or use the convenient folding handles on the spool.

Poison:

This arrow has a hollow reservoir for any sort of toxin you’d like. Impacting causes it to inject the poison into the target (see Serenity Corebook page 88).

Depleted Uranium

Depleted uranium rounds are made from the byproduct of nuclear fission, and combine exceptional armor penetration, fragmentation, and radioactivity. Now illegal throughout the ‘Verse, depleted uranium rounds were used during the Unification War and are only found in abandoned weapons caches and the black market. Depleted uranium rounds ignore one point of Armor Rating and do +1 Wound damage. Excessive exposure to this ammunition causes radiation sickness (see Serenity Corebook page 158).

Explosive

Each explosive round is like a tiny little grenade, set to go off when it hits. They’re expensive, they require a weapon tooled for ‘em (or a secondary barrel), and they’re pretty much
illegal across the ‘Verse. The explosion has a five-foot increment.

Nonlethal

Nonlethal ammunition consists of semisolid projectiles—beanbag, rubber, or low-impact—designed to stun and knock down a target rather than penetrate flesh.

Tracer

Tracer ammo is covered with a chemical that ignites in the face of sufficient friction, lighting up a trail through the air so the shooter can keep a tight cone of fire. When used with burst fire or autofire, tracer rounds grant a +1 Skill step as if aiming (which stacks with normal aiming bonuses, see Serenity Corebook page 153).